Girls’ College Reunion Part 3

So, after a fabulous arrival day at the W Scottsdale, it was priority numero uno to hit the pool first thing Saturday morning.

And what a pool we had:

Oooh ahhh.

We heard the W pool can be a little busy on Saturdays, so we had a daybed reserved.  This turned out to be the best idea ever.  We could all sit comfortably from our perch and watch the scene around us.  I have to say, simply for pure people-watching enjoyment, this pool was perfect.

My awesome husband sent the champagne and orange juice (for Mother’s Day) and we all got to enjoy!  What could be better for a girls’ weekend than mimosas by the pool?!

Yes, this is me, braving a picture in a bikini so you can see the daybed!

This was before all the people showed up!  Every one of the cabanas behind us was filled.

We had a great day at the pool, chatting and getting caught up on the last 10 years.  Wow, it flew!

After cleaning up that evening we did a quick happy hour in the Living Room at the W:

It was a great, quiet place to relax before heading out to dinner.

The setting for dinner that night was The Old Town Tortilla Factory.  This place rocked.  It had tons of outdoor seating in the a scenic patio.  Even more importantly, it had perfect margaritas – no mix, with fresh lime juice – in generous portions!   The menu had great options and one of our gals is gluten-free and they even had a special menu just for her.

We made it an early night after dinner as some of the group was sadly, flying home early the next morning.  And because it was Mother’s Day that next morning, I decided it was the perfect time to hit the spa:

And yes, it was just as peaceful as it appears in the photo.  Especially on a Sunday morning!  The atmosphere (music, lighting and all) was perfect and I got an unbelievable facial.  I had never been to a Bliss Spa before and have to say that I will definitely try to visit more as soon as possible!

As for the W Scottsdale, they certainly took their Whatever/Whenever policy seriously: they arranged for umbrellas at the pool, fans for the rooms and anything else we could think of (one of our gals said she had friends request a bucket of snow and they actually got it)!

And then, it was time to return to the airport and get back to reality after a great weekend.  But I was pretty excited to see my family!

Scottsdale College Reunion Part 2

The Girls’ Reunion Weekend really felt like it started when I got an awesome pre-trip email from the W Scottsdale.  I loved that it had the weather for the weekend, links to info we may need, and all the happening events.  That saved me some time searching.

A few of us arrived early, having left Denver very early Friday morning. . . as in 6am early.  We planned it that way to maximize pool time and it worked beautifully.  We hopped off the plane at 9:30am and met up with another gal arriving from New York.  We then jumped in a cab and were in front of the hotel in 20 minutes.  So far, perfect.

I have to say that the W Scottsdale lived up to every claim and description I had heard.  The decor was super sleek and funky while still being very comfortable and plush.  We got two rooms for the 6 of us, so 3 to a room.

A pic of our awesome digs:

And no, there was no jumping on the beds or pillow fights, but we did enjoy these fabulous rooms!

Girls’ College Reunion Part 1

A few months ago, an email chain started circulating amongst some of my college friends.

The topic: our 10 year reunion.  What?  Somehow, I had been in denial about the fact that ten years had passed from college graduation.  However, there it was, typed on the computer screen in front of me, staring me in the face.

The plan: to spend a weekend in the Phoenix area.

After some research on all of our parts, the overwhelming response from Phoenix/Scottsdale locals and travelers alike was to stay at the W Scottsdale.

The beautiful W Scottsdale:

Isn’t she pretty?

I had never stayed at a W before and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I did know that it going to be ultra trendy, sleek and a very happening spot.  It was also in the best location with an amazing pool.  A far cry from my daily life as a mom of a 2 year old!

Amazingly, 6 gals out of the original 8 on the email committed to being there.  One of the missing two lives in Sydney, Australia, so travel was tricky and the other missing gal was finishing up an extreme 200 hours of yoga teacher training that weekend.  Ouch.

So, preparations were under way for a fabulous weekend.  Now we just had to wait . . .

More tomorrow!

Make those E*Trade Babies Say What You Want Them to Say!

So, just a quick, short post since we all need a light break on Wednesdays.

This made me laugh: The folks at E*Trade have made those adorable talking babies we see in all their ads available for you to send personalized greetings for free.  Or if you just want to crack yourself up, it’s good for that, too.

Here’s the issue: with all the possibilities out there, I simply could not come up with anything for that baby to say.  My mind went…blank.

I’m hoping you are more creative than I, because there is some serious potential here.

One other fantastic feature: you can upload your own child’s picture and make them do the talking.  Or, better yet, maybe upload a photo of someone you have beef with and force them to apologize to you.  Over and over and over again.  ;)  Just a thought.

Make the E*Trade Baby talk here.  Wouldn’t it make a great Mother’s Day greeting to send the moms in your life?

Alternatives for a Candy-Crazy Easter!

First, I should point out, my son is 2 years old.  So I can actually get away with the minimal amount of candy this year.  Next year might be a different story.

However, I started thinking: What did I love when I was a kid?  Was it the candy? Not really.  I remember never touching those big chocolate bunnies – I never knew how to tackle them.  What I loved was the hunt.  The hunt for eggs and then the grand finale: the actual basket.  I also loved small toys, stickers, the occasional quarter and “coupons” my parents would make us.  Think “get out of dish-duty one night” and “stay up one hour later than normal” kinds of coupons.  Those are HUGE for kids.

Some of my son’s eggs for this year:

The loot...

Look at all the fun stuff he gets: stickers (I highly recommend the dollar aisle at target), a chocolate bunny (I’m not mean, I will give him some candy), a Bakugan (that’s more for me, I’ll go into that sometime in the future), and cool Littlest Pet Shop 6-pack of eggs I found at Safeway – they were half off – I couldn’t help myself.  How cute are they?

So if you’re trying to not bury your kids in candy for yet another candy crazy holiday, think about the things that they would get really excited about outside of the candy world.  Trust me, they will love it!